A Ninja in 20XX
by Cosmic Jester
Summary: The adventures of Kagemaru, a Japanese ninja robot. Chapter One: Kagemaru is assigned to be Megaman's apprentice... and Wily attacks! (The authorized novelization of the fan-favorite online comic!)


*See the end for disclaimer, etc, before reading.*  
  
A Ninja in 20XX  
  
the tale of Kagemaru  
Concept and comic by Son Goharotto  
Novelization by Cosmic Jester  
  
Chapter One: Introductions  
(ice cream, pocky, and irrational post office fears)  
  
It was a hot, dry summer day. The sun was beating down, the cicadas were chirping their blissfully familiar melody, and the small native animals were basking in the warming light. Large, puffy clouds that showed not a hint of rain complimented the sky's lovely blue hue. It was a perfect day for baseball, popsicle trucks, lemonade, barbeques, or in the case of a certain young man, lounging lazily in your air-conditioned room watching the latest documentary from Food Network.  
  
This young man was unusual in many respects; not the least being the signed PlayRobot centerfold he had tacked up to his wall. He was dressed in blue from his raven-haired head to his booted feet. Armor matching these two was strategically placed on his shins and forearms. A blue helmet that almost seemed to be a motorcycle helmet was resting on the wooden nightstand beside him. Those shining, ebon doll-like eyes watched in rapt, unblinking attention as a disembodied voice droned in great detail over the footage of an ice cream factory about how important spinning the cream and sugar is; laying on his half-made bed just as he had been through the entire hour- long program.  
  
His name was Rock Light, though he was far better known as "Megaman", robotic savior of the world.  
  
"And that is how ice cream is ma-" The announcer's dry voice was cut off by accursed hissing black-and-white TV snow.  
  
"Hey!" protested the youth, only to be silenced by the appearance of an obnoxiously tight close up of a cackling old man's face.  
  
Shockingly white, frizzled hair clung to the sides of his head, defying the encroaching baldness and giving the impression of two electrocuted pom- poms. A long mustache, the same wild white as his hair, hung down almost to his cleft chin, only adding to the air of madness about this man. It was Doctor Wily.  
  
Finishing his laugh, he sneered and spoke. "Greetings, Megaman! I bet you never thought you'd see me again, did you?"  
  
Rock groaned to himself, knowing that this one-way broadcast would signal the end of his recent lazy lifestyle. Black eyes turned to the remote, fumbling for a button.  
  
"Well, I have eight new Masterbots, and they'll-*click*"  
  
"Oh, bite me." He released the remote and with much teenage apathy rolled out of bed and grabbed his helmet. The round helmet slid into place as he began to search for his father, Dr. Light. It was time for Megaman to get down to business.  
  
Rock's father wasn't his biological father, since he and his siblings weren't biological at all. The doctor was a portly gentleman that had a bushy beard covering most of his kind face, the kind of beard associated with Santa Claus. The snow-white hair was matched on top of his head as well in a hairstyle that was somehow always exactly a bit too long and a bit too poofy to be very flattering. However, there was something in his gentle, wise eyes that seemed to radiate a quiet sense of peace.  
  
Either that or he was senile. Fifty-fifty shot, if you were to ask Rock's opinion.  
  
As he burst into Dr. Light's laboratory he glanced around, immediately noticing his sister Roll hadn't been in to straighten recently. Neatness wasn't the good doctor's forte obviously, nor was fashion. The sole female of the house had left before anyone had woken up, leaving the defenseless closet subject to her father's whims. Glaringly red pants, a turquoise paisley tie, and an off-white shirt all screamed for mercy under his stark white lab coat.  
  
"Hey Pop!" Rock ran to where his father was sitting at and working on a large supercomputer, slowing just long enough as he passed to say "Wily's at it again, so you'll know where I'll be."  
  
"Wait just a minute, Megaman."  
  
Rock paused and looked back at him. "What's up?"  
  
The doctor pushed his chair back from the terminal to turn towards him, leaning back comfortably. "I got an email from an old college chum of mine from Japan. He's sending his latest bot over here for training."  
  
Impatiently the youth asked, "And?"  
  
"And," the elder man intoned, "He can help you fight Wily when he gets here." There was a small, pause as the young man's expression shifted from mild annoyance through thoughtfulness to a distinctly devious smile. "Reeeaaally..?" As he turned to sprint back where he came from he added, "In that case I'm gettin' me some ice cream!"  
  
Meanwhile on the other side of the globe another scientist was standing in his own laboratory, typing a string of commands into a supercomputer. He seemed to be an attractive middle-aged man with a full head of thick chocolate-brown hair a nice smile. There was a slight cleft in his chin, and the intelligent eyes behind wire frame glasses were a dark golden brown. Doctor Takagi's laboratory was just as impressive as his American counterpart, though Dr. Light was surpassed in one area: Dr. Takagi had a sense of style. Under his starched lab coat was a pure white shirt, tucked neatly into a pair of grey tweed pants that were held at his waist by a dark leather belt. Adding a splash of color to the simple outfit was a red tie that, curiously enough, exactly matched the pants Dr. Light was wearing.  
  
Looking up from his work he pushed his glasses up higher on his nose and called, "[Kagemaru, could you come here?]"  
  
From seemingly nowhere a young man dropped, landing silently on silver colored boots. He wore a burgundy chest plate that was edged in antiqued gold. Combined with matching shin, shoulder, and wrist guards; the accessories completed his outfit over a dark gray bodysuit. While nothing held his wild mane of light brown spiky hair at bay, where his ears would be were burgundy audio receivers. But what was most surprising about this young man was not his clothes or his gravity-defying hairstyle. No, what drew the eyes to this youth was the deep blue of his eyes; eyes that seemed far too alive for his android nature, even on his pretty-boy features. "[Yes, Doctor Takagi,]" he asked as he straightened to stand at attention.  
  
"[Ah, there you are.]" Dr. Takagi smiled at his prodigy as he rose from his swivel chair. "[Ready for your trip to America?]"  
  
"[Indeed doctor.]" Kagemaru flexed his fists experimentally. "[I look forward to meeting the legendary Megaman.]"  
  
His creator nodded, pleased.  
  
With a sudden eagerness contrasting his previous behavior he added, "[It will be an honor to do battle with him!]"  
  
"[No no no!]" The doctor shook his head. "[You're supposed to be his apprentice.]"  
  
Confusion filled the handsome young face. "[I thought you built me to be a warrior.]"  
  
"[I did. You will learn from Megaman and gain much needed experience.]"  
  
"Ah, wakarimasu." Kagemaru inclined his head towards his creator in a slight bow of respect. "[I understand.]"  
  
Doctor Takagi looked for a button on the large console in front of them. "[Now, let me teleport you to Dr. Light's laboratory.]"  
  
Obediently the bot stayed in place while his creator punched in his access code for the Satellite Teleportation Network, pressing the enter button. As the computer beeped compliance a set of intense blue eyes shut tight. The guidebook programmed into his database said that this was the best way to avoid vertigo during transport.  
  
An odd prickling sensation teased its way up Kagemaru's sleek body, starting at the very tips of his toes. Another wave began at the top of his head, sliding down his head, neck, shoulders, and chest, meeting the first around his middle within a split second. The general consensus among is that being teleported is a lot like when your foot falls asleep only all over. You then lose all sensation, locked in your own mind during the actual journey, and then the tingling waves pass the same way they came.  
  
Just as Kagemaru faded into the burgundy and silver light that shot up through the ceiling to the teleportation satellite something caught Doctor Takagi's eye on the computer's display. "[Oops.]" Leaning back against the machine he mentally sighed as he watched his creation's progress through the system. "[Oh dear, I knew I was forgetting something..]"  
  
A very few moments later in a field thousands of miles away from Japan the beam that was Kagemaru touched down in a field. A quick glance around revealed little of interest nearby, a city in the distance, and a large red puddle nearly thirty yards off.  
  
"[This doesn't quite look right,]" he said to himself quietly as he considered his options, then began to jog towards the puddle; his only potential clue. "[Where are Dr. Light and Megaman?]"  
  
The pool of a strange red polymer seemed to sense his approach and started to balloon upwards in the middle, causing the ninja to pull up short and watch cautiously. Before his eyes the red, oozing bubble formed into a crude half-man approximately three times as tall as Kagemaru and at least several dozen times as massive. It had no head and a large, ball-like torso with an eerie single black and glowing green "eye," its central computer, which glowed menacingly as it's bulky arms raised, four fingers set in each barely discernable hand.  
  
After a moment of studying this strange turn of events Kagemaru naively brightened. "[Ah, I can ask him for directions.]" He walked closer to the red demon, speaking louder now and in English. "Excuse me?"  
  
Before he'd gotten any farther he found himself flying backwards, propelled by a kick of one of the creature's legs. He landed, skidding almost twenty feet before coming to a stop.  
  
"[I'll admit; that was probably wasn't the smartest thing to do," he muttered as he pushed himself up to his feet. He turned to study the demon for a moment. "Let's try this again, shall we?"  
  
As soon as he had spoken Kagemaru charged, leaping up under the creature's arms to land a solid punch just under the strange eye. Polymer went flying everywhere as the blow knocked a good portion off the hulking body, leaving the eye completely exposed.  
  
"Now then," he said in a no-nonsense way when he landed, "where can I find Dr. Light?"  
  
For a moment the demon was motionless. The eye flashed, sparking, sending streaking bolts of light to the body and the polymer reacted--oozing upwards, reforming around the eye as Kagemaru watched in mild disbelief. "[This was... unforeseen.]"  
  
As the monster drew its arm towards its body he dropped into a fighting stance, clenching his fist, gathering energy that sparked upwards into the air in elegant beams. He stood his ground when the demon thrust its massive hand at him, swallowing his entire form in the elastic polymer.  
  
Just when it seemed the creature had won the ninja's voice rang out from inside it, burning with a fury unseen as yet. "KYOKEN!"  
  
Goo exploded as Kagemaru tore through the creature, his fist growing massive as it shattered the eye's protective casing. He exploded out the creature's back with a sickeningly wet sound, leaving a very sizable hole in his wake. Landing deftly on his feet he spun just in time to see the central computer crackle and explode with a deafening boom and brilliant flash of light--and to get splattered right on his face and uniform with malleable plastic.  
  
"Shimatta," he muttered as he began to wipe at his face in sheer disgust. "[Darnit. Now he can't tell me where Dr. Light is.]"  
  
It took the young bot several minutes to rid himself of the demon's remains then he started on his way again, running towards the buildings in the far distance. The light exercise freed his mind to think.  
  
"[I hate to say it,]" he murmured, "[but I was kind of hoping my first battle would be more of a challenge.]" No sooner were these words spoken than he saw movement ahead of him. "[Huh? That's this?]"  
  
Half a dozen of the behemoth demons rose not even forty feet away in a display that would have made Technicolor proud, or make an acid junkie have a flashback.  
  
Six eyes focused on their target--the ninja. His own eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas time. "[That's more like it!]"  
  
At his lab Dr. Light had, of course, figured out that Kagemaru's delayed arrival wasn't just an attempt to be fashionably late. He gave Megaman, who was savoring his chocolate chip ice cream, a look. "I wonder what's taking Kagemaru so long."  
  
His bionic son just shrugged and gave his cone another lick.  
  
He added a pointed tone to the look. "Maybe he's lost?"  
  
With a roll of his eyes Megaman straightened from leaning against the main computer. "Okay, okay, I get the hint! I'll go look for him." He dropped his ice cream onto the floor, (which would have been an extremely dangerous move had Roll been at home,) and ran out of the lab and the house, running off in what he deemed a likely direction.  
  
At another laboratory not too far away another white-haired man was ranting, raving, and pulling at whatever little hair he had remaining.  
  
"What in the world is taking Megaman so long?"  
  
The only witness to Dr. Wiley's tirade was a bot who stood ominously in gold-edged black armor, a matching streamlined winged helmet on his head, which darted sharply down between his eyes. Two aquamarine gems, one over his forehead and one on his chest, provided the only color on his entire body. The dark, gothic effect was ruined by the chocolate chocolate chip ice cream cone, which was currently dripping long sticky streams down his fingers.  
  
For all the notice Bass seemed to give to the pacing doctor he could have been a rock. He silently, thoughtfully, took another lick of his ice cream, beginning to wonder about Megaman himself.  
  
At that particular moment Megaman was following an energy signature, all the while grumbling none too quietly about having to search for his 'apprentice'. "Geez, his first day on the job and the new guy needs a babysitter." He spotted a little dark burgundy spot in the distance, crouched beneath the multicolored demons. "That must be him."  
  
Kagemaru was on one knee, grasping his right shoulder defensively and mentally beating himself for wishing this on himself. [Darn karma...]  
  
Ebony eyes rolled in their sockets as the six demons prepared to move in for the kill. He clenched his fist, his buster sliding into place as he screeched to a halt. Power began to spark, a bright aura of almost incalculable amounts of green energy forming around his body, straining to be released.  
  
"Hey new guy!!"  
  
A startled Japanese face turned to face him.  
  
"DUCK!"  
  
The warning came just in time. Kagemaru hit the dirt as a wave of piercing heat swept above him, swallowing the demons' torsos in a giant beam of green energy and singeing a few of his hairs. Explosions rocked the area as the artificial rubber burned into nasty smelling ash, exposing their vulnerable eyes to the assault--which in turn caused six sizable explosions.  
  
"[Woah...]" Shaken and impressed by the display of sheer power he just witnessed Kagemaru could only stare as he rose to stand, watching as Megaman blew over the barrel of his buster like they do in all the old western movies before letting it return to its standby mode in his glove and forearm. The ninja jogged through the remaining bits of the demons to his 'mentor'. "That was amazing!"  
  
With almost an almost smug tone Megaman replied, "Of course." He motioned for the other android to follow him then took off at a swift run towards his home. The two ran in silence for a minute or two.  
  
"Thank you for your assistance, Megaman."  
  
"Less talk, more walk," was the teen's reply--he was still a bit grumpy about having his ice cream break interrupted.  
  
Kagemaru obediently fell silent; though there were dozens of things he would have loved to ask the infamous world savior. Eventually the silence got so thick Rock yielded and broke the tension.  
  
"So, uh, what kinda ice cream do you like?"  
  
Innocently the Japanese boy said, "Actually I prefer pocky."  
  
Appalled, the American screeched to a halt and spun to face him, throwing his hands up into the air, then shouted "My god, you're a freak!"  
  
The rest of the run was uneventful, neither bot saying another word to the other. Rock called for his father as they ran into the lab. "Found 'im, Pop!"  
  
Hastily clearing the screen of what looked to be AI code Dr. Light turned from his computer to smile at the two as they halted. "Ah, excellent!" He rose from his chair to greet his guest.  
  
"How do you do, Dr. Light?" asked Kagemaru politely as Rock exclaimed happily "Hey, there's my ice cream!" and picked the cone up off the floor.  
  
Ignoring the other android as he ate the treat the ninja continued his recitation. "I am Dr. Takagi's robot, Kagemaru. My function is to act as a contractual agent in the defense of Japan and it's people from the supernatural, the extraterrestrial, and from villains in our own society."  
  
The doctor nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagemaru. Takagi must be very proud." He gave his son a pointed look; the one every parent has that says, "Remember your manners... or else!"  
  
Rock made a face from behind Kagemaru's back as he shoved the remainder of the cone into his mouth, mumbling something like "Yeah, likewise."  
  
Dr. Light let that slide--barely.  
  
Eagerness in his eyes, their 'exchange student' spoke again, turning to his tutor Megaman. "So what's my first assignment?"  
  
As he rummaged through an impossible pocket in the chest of his bodysuit the youth asked, "Well, how about you deliver this letter to Dr. Wily?" He pulled a thin, white envelope out, holding it out to the new guy so he could see the address; simply "Dr. Wily" in a messy scrawl.  
  
Kagemaru paused a moment, wondering if this was the odd American's idea of a joke. Seeing that he was serious he accepted the letter and stowed it safely inside his chest plate. Perhaps this was a test of some sort. "Is that all? I was hoping for something involving actual combat."  
  
"Oh don't worry, there'll be plenty of that," Rock assured him, fighting that devious smile he'd gotten when he'd plotted this idea an hour ago. Seeing a bit of skepticism in his trainee he continued. "Wily's got eight Master Bots to... err..." He thought quickly. "To ward off the postal service. He has... uhm... junk mail-phobia."  
  
"Aha!" Kagemaru was so eager for a chance to really test his skills he didn't bother anylizing what Megaman said. "To battle!" At top speed he bolted out of the lab, almost knocking over some rather expensive equipment as he passed it.  
  
Once the dust had settled Dr. Light looked at his smirking son reproachfully. "That was cruel, Rock."  
  
Before his son could reply a voice interrupted them.  
  
"Pardon me..." Embarrassed, the spiky-haired ninja had poked his head back into the lab. "Which way is Dr. Wily's laboratory?"  
  
After giving Kagemaru the latitude and longitude of the fortress and watching him nod and run off again Dr. Light returned his scolding gaze to Rock. "If you had something to tell Wily why didn't you just send him an email?"  
  
"Too impersonal. Besides," he added smugly, "now I don't even have to supervise the guy. I can finish watching my show."  
  
Dr Light sat down wearily. "That's funny. I don't remember programming you with a "lazy" algorithm, Rock."  
  
"Whatever. Wanna go get some more ice cream?"  
  
"How can you think of ice cream at a time like this!" The aging man looked appalled. "Kagemaru doesn't know what he's getting himself into! What if he's in trouble?!"  
  
Rock rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a 'no', then." He turned and headed for the kitchen, tugging his helmet off before he got helmet head.  
  
After a pause Dr. Light sighed, then called, "Get me some peanut butter ripple!"  
  
~to be continued~  
  
Well? What do you think? Please R&R. If you're interested in reading this in comic strip form check out Son Goharotto's website at and click on the "features" option. Jester's done some guest comic work, if you enjoy her sense of humor.  
  
Megaman and all related characters are copyright of Capcom and are used without permission for this non-profit fan comic and it's subsequent novelization. All original characters, storyline, and title "A Ninja in 20XX" is copyright of the brilliant, creative, glompable, and all-around supaa keen guy Son Goharotto. "Ninja" was inspired in part by Dave Anez's "Bob and George," and tributary references are sprinkled throughout in a random fashion. No infringement is intended, they're simply there for 'inside' jokes. This novelization is copyright to the Cosmic Jester (aka Kosmiku Jastaa), and was begun as a Christmas present for Goharotto-kun. Since it will be months before the entire thing is finished Jester and Goharotto agreed to release it in chapters. Passing off someone's story as your own is theft of intellectual property and violation of copyright. To repeat in the vernacular; your punk ass can get in some major shit for stealing Goharotto's ideas and Jester's story, and we will make certain you do. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.  
  
Although humorous in some... okay, MANY places this is very much NOT a light and fluffy story. There are swear words in multiple languages, some intense violence, a lot of regular violence, and the occasional homicidal rampage. On occasion Jester will get a mad philosophical rhetoric on that's known to make heads spin. Don't say we didn't warn you.  
  
~Cosmic Jester P.S. Text in brackets [like this] is someone speaking in Japanese. P.P.S. FF.net ate my pretty formatting. Can anyone help me? I can't get my files to look the way I want them to. 


End file.
